Automatic feed for tinning machines and the like



.kine 18, |MB0DEN 2,204,548

AUTOMATIC FEED FOR TINNINGI MACHINES AND THE LIKE Fild Deo. 29. 1939 i 1I lilies M ff, L' ,n g@ f I |31 I TL C: l fp L ff CZ V05 /MBODE/v,

Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oI-Fic l i Clyde Imboden, Gary, Ind.

Application December 29, 1939, Serial No. 311,640

. s claims. A(ol. 27h-36) This invention relates to automatic feeding devices for feeding sheet metal plates into tinning machines and the like, and more particularly to an improved means for controlling the magnetic force in magnetic feeders such as the automatic magnetic feeder disclosed in the patent to E. C. Pool, No. 1,448,711, dated March 13,

It will be seen by reference to the above patent l0 that the stack of sheets is placed on end in the bosh at the entry sident the feeder in a vertically inclined position, and there is provided a plurality of permanently magnetized rotatable rolls or cylinders which are at all times kept in contact with the outermost sheet or plate of the stack. In operation, the rotating magnetic feed rolls, due to their magnetic attraction, supposedly pick up only the outer adhering sheet or plate and move it upwardly into the feeder and grinding mechanism and into the tinning machine. There is arranged above the magnetized rolls, in the path of the moving sheets, a triangular shaped rotatable Ispacing member which is adapted to control the frequency with which the sheets are fed into the mechanical feeding mechanism.

While such magnetic feeders have been satisfactory'in many respects, they were inefficient and unsatisfactory in other respects. Such magnetic feeders were deficient in one respect in that there was no provision made in their design and construction for controlling or adjusting the force `or pulling power of the magnetized rolls,

and oftentimes doubles were picked up from the stack of sheets, that is, more than one sheet was picked up and .fed into the feeder at one time which, of course, is undesirable.

Also, the sheets attimes were moved upwardly against the triangular spacing member with such force as to cause them to buckle, split and cobble,

Awhich was also undesirable. This happens quite frequently in the case of the lighter gauge sheets.

In such cases, it was oftentimes necessary to stop` the feeder, remove the cobble and make adjustments and sometimes repairs before the machine was in operable condition, which was not only inconvenient and troublesome, but resulted in a 'waste of material and a loss of production. Here- 50 tofore, numerous attempts have been made to simply and reliably controlled, thereby eliminating the above named disadvantages. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the pres ent invention to provide an improved magnetic feeding means for feedingmetallic sheets or plate 5 wherein the magnetic force or attraction thereof can be easily and conveniently controlled so as to -feed the plates, one at a time, from a stack of sheets. without disturbing the remaining sheets of the stack.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved means for controlling the force of attraction or pulling power of magnetic feed rolls which is simple and inexpensive in its coni struction and, at the same time, one which is ef- 15 fective and efficient in its use.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved means for controlling the force of attraction or pulling power of ,magnetic feed rolls which includes an adjustable device posi- 20 tioned in the flux field of the magnetic rolls.

Various other objects and advantages o-f this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims- 25 In the accompanying drawing there is shown, for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the auto- 30 matic feeding portion of a tinning machine showing the magnetic feed rollers and other associated parts;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line II--II of Figure 1; and, 35

Figure 3 is a section taken on line III-III of Figure l. y The improved means for controlling the magnetic force of magnetic feed rollers of the present invention is shown incorporated with a tin 40 ning machine as disclosed in the Pool Patent No. 1,448,711. It will be understood that this invention may not only be used on magnetic feed rollers in conjunctionA with a tinning machine, but also may be used for controlling the magnetic force of magnetic feed rollers wherever they are used for ldelivering metallic plates to a' machine in which they are to be worked upon or for any use where single plates are adapted to be separated from a pile or stack of plates by a magnetic roll.

The entry side of the tinning machine and part of the `feeding mechanism associated therewith is all that is ,shown in the drawing, and a better understanding of the operation of the machine can be had by referring to the above patent.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown a bosh or receptacle 2 positioned at the entry side of the tinning machine and secured to and extending below the framework thereof and which is adapted to hold a pile of sheet metal plates 3 to be tin coated.

Mounted on the rear edge of the supporting framework at each end andA center thereof is a bracket 4 supporting a shaft e', having four arms 5 loosely mounted `thereon for pivotal movement. The arms 5 have a pair of cylindrical magnetic plate lifters 6 journaled and supported in their lower ends, and the center arms have their upper ends preferably counterweighted by adjustable counterweights (not shown) mounted on the projecting arm l.

The magnetic plate lifters or rollers 6,` each comprises a permanent magnetic member 6 mounted within a pair of hollow cylindrical casings 9 which have their inner ends spaced apart -and joined by a non-magnetic hollow cylindrical tubular member I0. Stub shafts I2 are threaded into the outer ends of the casings and support the whole structure in suitable bearings formed in the lower ends of the arms 5.

The hollow cylindrical casing members 9 are formed preferably from soft iron or other material which will readily convey the circuit or attracting forces from the permanent \magnet 6 thus forming unlike poles through which a circuit will be completed when they contact with a plate.

'Ihe outer surface or periphery of the members 9 is uted, forming a series of knife edge ribs or projections I3. It will thus be seen that each of the ribs or projections I3 will successively engage a plate as the magnet is rotated, and that projections on the opposite casings will form opposite or unlike pole contacts, and that such projections will contact with the face of the outermost plate of the pile in the bosh or receptacle 2. The eect of, the knife edge contacts will be to concentrate the forces of the magnet as much as possible in the immediate plate and prevent the spreading of the forces through and into the next adjoining plates.

Suitable cross-beams I4 and I5 are arranged to extend from one end of the frame support to the other immediately above the upper edge of the bosh, and carry suitable curved guide strips I6 and Il, respectively, arranged to form an upwardly and inwardly inclined passageway to guide the plates being conveyed.

A second pair of cross-beams I8 and IBI are arranged forwardof and above-the cross-beams I5 and I6, and carry other guide strips 20 and 2 I, respectively, forming a second passageway adapted to receive the plates from the passageway between the strips I6 and I1, and direct them forwardly and upwardly between suitable pinch rollers 22 and23 which may be of any well-known construction. 'Ihe plates then pass lthrough the remainder of the feeding mechanism in a manner well understood in the art into and through the tinning machine.

A still further means for preventing the feeding of more than a single plate into the tinning pot is located just to the rear of the pinch rollers 22 and 23, and comprises a shaft 24 journaled in the frame support and having a plurality of locking fingers 2 5 of triangular shape, secured thereon and of such size that their flat lsides will extendthrough the guide strips and 2| into the path of the lifted plates. As the plates are guided between the strips 20 and 2|, they willA bear against the upper strips 2I'due to the direction of their travel, and in this position they will strike the fingers 25 and cause the shaft and fingers to rotate one-third of a revolution, thereby presenting one of thel other faces of the iingers against the plate. If a second plate is overlapped on the first in such a manner that its forward edge is disposed to the rear of the forward edge of the first plate, it will strike the lingers and be held, since the fingers cannot again rotate until the first plate has passed from under and clears the fingers.

Another feature and function of these fingers is that they will cause an even feed of the plates from both ofthe magnetic feed rollers or lifters 6, since if one roller feeds a plate in advance of the other, the first to reach or strike the fingers 25 will rotate them the one-third turn, and then lock them against rotation until it has passed from thereunder, and the plate that is in the rear will be held until the fingers are again freed when another plate will be presented by the other magnetic feed roller to follow the one just clearing the lingers, thus causing the newly presented plate, and the held plate to pass together to the rollers 22 and 23.

According to the present invention, there is arranged around the magnetic rollers 6 adjacent thereto and in the flux field thereof and on the opposite side of the magnetic rollers 6 from the stack of the plates 3 which are to be delivered into the tinning machine, a semi-cylindrical member 26, extending substantially the length of the pair of magnetic rollers 6. This semi-cylindrical member may be formed from a pipe or any other cylindrical object. The semi-cylindrical member 26 is hingedly connected preferably at the top edge thereof at 21 to a cross member 28 which extends between the varms 5 and is securely attached thereto. There is arranged on the outer face of the semi-cylindrical member 26 an outwardly extending portion 29 to which one end of a vertically extending link 3|) is pivotally connected at 3 I There is arranged preferably on the center arm 5 above the magnetic feed rollers 6 and the guide strips I6 and I'I, afbell-crank or lever arm member 32 having its outer' end pivotally connected to the upper end of the link at 33 and the inner end thereof securely connected to a stud shaft 34 pivotally arranged in a suitable journal in the center arm. There is also arranged on the stud shaft 34 a handle or actuating member 35,

There is preferably arranged in the center arm 5, a plurality of aligned holes 36 extending therethrough adjacent the inner edge thereof for the purpose of receiving a pin 31 for holding the lever arm 32 together with the link 30 and the semicylindrical member 26 in any desired adjusted position. Y t

It will be seen that by manipulatingr the lever the position of the semi-cylindrical member 26 with respect to the magnetic feed rolls 6 can be varied so as to affect the pulling power exerted against the sheets 3 thereby and thus compensate for any differences in the weight of the sheets being coated or processed, or upon changing from one grade to another. 'I'hat is to say, the semi-cylindrical member 26 being positioned in the flux field acts as a deadening agent with respect to the magnetic attraction of the magnetic'feed rolls 6 and it will be understood that the magnetic attraction of the feed rolls 6 increases as the semi-cylindrical member 26 is moved away therefrom and consequently the magnetic attraction of the feed rolls is decreased as the semi-cylindrical member is moved toward the same.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that the pulling power or magnetic attraction of the magnetic feed rollers 6 can be easily and quickly adjusted by the operator to best suited conditions and that with the aid of such adjustment, the feeding of one plate at a time into the tinning machine by the magnetic feeder will be assured.

While I have in this application specifically described one embodiment which my` invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. An automatic plate feeder, including, a cylindrical rotatable magnetic lifter member having opposite pole portions adapted to contact with a plate and complete the magnetic circuit therethrough, and adjustable means arranged 'in the flux field of said rotatable magnet for controlling the force of the magnetic attraction thereof.

2. An automatic plate feeder, including, a cylindrical rotatable magnetic` lifter member having opposite pole portions adapted to contact with a plate and complete the magnetic circuit therethrough, and an adjustable semi-cylindrical member arranged around said rotatable magnet adjacent thereto and in the flux iield thereof for controlling the f'orce of the magnetic attraction of said magnet on the'plate.

3. An automatic plate feeder for lifting and feeding single plates from a pile in facewise contact, one with the other, comprising a rotatable magnet having a plurality of radially extending knife edge poles arranged around its periphery and adapted to successively engage the exposed face of the outermost plate as the mag--l net is rotated, said magnet adapted to move plates one by one from said pile', and adjustable means arranged in the flux field of said rotatable magnet for controlling the force ofthe magnetic attraction thereof on said outer plate.

4. An automatic plate feeder for lifting and feeding single plates from a pile in facewise contact, one with the other, comprising a rotatable magnet having a plurality of radially extending knife edge poles arranged around its periphery and adapted to successively engage the exposed face of the outermost plate as .the magnet is rotated, said magnet adapted to move plates one by one from said pile, and an adjustable semi-cylindrical member arranged around said rotatable magnet adjacent thereto and in the flux field thereof for controlling the force of the magnetic attraction of said magnet on said outer plate.

5. The combination with a tinning machine for tinning metallic plates, and means for supporting a pile of plates to be delivered into the machine with the plates of the pile in facewise contact one with the other, of a rotatable magnet having a plurality of diametrically opposed knife edge poles disposed around its periphery and adapted to successively engage the exposed face of the outermost plate as the magnet is rotated, said magnet adapted to move plates one by one from said pile, and adjustable means arranged in the iiux field of said rotatable magnet for controlling the force of the magnetic attraction thereof on said outer plate.

6. The combination with a tinning machine for tinning metallic plates, and means for sup porting a pile of plates to be delivered into the machine with the plates of the pile in facewise contact one with the other, of a rotatable magnet having a plurality of diametrically opposed knife edge poles disposed around its periphery,

`and adapted to successively'engage the exposed face of the outermost plate as the magnet is rotated, said magnet adapted to move plates' one by one from said pile, and an adjustable semicylindrical member arranged around said ro`- tatable magnet adjacent thereto and in the flux field thereof for controlling the force of the able negative member adjacent thereto and in the flux iield thereof for controlling the force of the magnetic attraction of said magnet on said plates. 1

8. The combination with a tinning machine for tinning metallic plates, and means for supporting a pile of plates to be delivered into the machine with the plates ofl the pile in facewlse contact one with the other, of a rotatable magnet having a plurality of diametrically opposed knife edge poles disposed around its periphery, and adapted to successively engage the exposed face of the outermost plate as the magnet is rotated, said magnet adapted to move plates one by one from said pile, a semi-cylindrical member arranged around said rotatable magnet adjacent thereto and in the flux field thereof with one side of said semi-cylindrical member being hingedly affixed and the other side being freely movable relative thereto and to said magnet, and means for moving said semi-cylindrical member and adjusting the position about said rotatable magnet, said semi-cylindrical member adapted to control the force of the magnetic attraction of said magnet on said outer plate.

, CLYDE IMBODEN. 

